Organic Pastures raw milk and cream is being recalled by the California Department of Food and Agriculture for possible Salmonella contamination. This is not the first time this dairy's products have been recalled for bacterial contamination. Their products have been recalled for Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter contamination. Several outbreaks in the past few years have been linked to Organic Pastures products. No illnesses have been reported in this latest recall.
The state has also issued a quarantine order after they confirmed the presence of Salmonella in raw cream. All of Organic Pastures Dairy brand raw milk, raw skim cream, and raw cream labeled with a code date of May 18 is to be pulled from retail shelves. Consumers are "strongly urged" to dispose of any product in their … [Read more...]

The state of California has released a retail distribution list of stores that sold Organic Pastures raw milk milk that is linked to an E. coli O157 outbreak. That list is eleven pages long and includes many health food stores and natural food coops.
The California Department of Public Health has confirmed to Food Poisoning Bulletin that an outbreak linked to Organic Pastures raw milk has sickened at least six people, some of them children. None of the patients' names or locations have been released by state officials.
All of the illnesses occurred in January, and the investigation is ongoing. Some news reports have stated that two more people are sick in this outbreak, but the California Department of Public Health did not get back to us by press time to confirm or deny this … [Read more...]

Organic Pastures raw milk recalled for E.coli was sold at 159 stores in Northern California, according to a retail distribution list posted by the California Department of Public Health. The list includes co-ops and natural grocery stores including several locations of the Sprouts, Nugget and New Leaf chains.
The recalled milk has been linked to an E. coli outbreak that has sickened six children with a unique strain of shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157. The illnesses occurred in January.
The recalled product ,Organic Pastures raw whole milk, had "use by" dates of 1/23/16 (lot code 20160105-1) and 1/26/16 (lot code 20160106-2). Consumers who purchased and froze the milk ay still have it in hand and should not drink, health officials say.
Symptoms of an E. coli … [Read more...]

The California Department of Public Health has confirmed to Food Poisoning Bulletin that there is an E. coli O157 outbreak linked to recalled Organic Pastures raw milk. Via email, they said "there is an outbreak, and as of February 8, 2016, six children with a unique strain of shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 have been identified; of all of these six children, four have reported drinking Organic Pastures raw milk before they got sick."
All six illnesses occurred in January 2016. Public health officials are investigating the dairy and that investigation is ongoing. CDPH's Food and Drug Branch (FDB) has "collected a number of samples from the marketplace, which are currently undergoing laboratory evaluation," according to the communication.
The recalled product is Organic Pastures … [Read more...]

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has jumped into the Organic Pastures raw milk recall. The whole raw milk has been recalled for possible E. coli O157 contamination.
The product was distributed in northern California and the central coast of California. Use by dates for the products are 1/23/16 (lot code 20160105-1) and 1/26/16 (lot code 20160106-2).
The symptoms of an E. coli O157 infection include severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea that may be watery and/or bloody, a mild fever, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms usually begin three to four days after exposure to the pathogenic bacteria, sometimes up to 10 days. Children under the age of 5 are most susceptible to serious complications from this infection, most notably hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
HUS develops when … [Read more...]

Organic Pastures, the dairy in California that has been at the center of recalls before, is recalling raw milk produced at their facility. They state that this is not a state-mandated recall, but is being conducted "in abundance of caution." There is no word on whether or not any illnesses have been reported in connection with the consumption of these products, or why the product is being recalled.
The recalled products include whole milk with use by date of 1/23/16 and lot code 20160105-1, and whole milk with a use by date of 1/26/16 and lot code 20160106-2. The milk "may have been released" to the northern and central coast areas of California, and were not sold in southern California, according to the press release.
If you purchased this product, do not drink it. Throw it away or … [Read more...]

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has announced a recall of raw milk produced at Organic Pastures Dairy of Fresno county after Campylobacter bacteria was found in raw whole milk. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of this product. A quarantine order has been announced by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones.
Organic Pastures Dairy brand Grade-A raw milk labeled with a code date of OCT 24 2015 is to be pulled from retail shelves. Consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any product remaining in their refrigerators. The bacteria was discovered as a result of product testing conducted as part of routine inspector and sample collection at the facility.
Products from Organic Pastures Dairy of Fresno have been recalled … [Read more...]

The FDA has rejected a petition filed in 2008 by the owner of Organic Pastures Dairy to allow for the interstate sale of raw milk. In the letter, sent February 26, 2013 and signed by Michael Landa, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the FDA states "your petition does not contain facts demonstrating any reasonable grounds for this proposed amendment to 21 CFR 1240.61 (the law prohibiting the sales), nor does it show that this proposal is in the public interest or will promote the objectives of the FDA and the statutes it administers."
In 1987, the FDA stated that the available record "demonstrated an association between the consumption of raw milk and the outbreak of disease." Last year there were six confirmed food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk, which … [Read more...]

Organic Pastures, the country's largest producer of raw milk, has filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the agency's failure to respond to the company's petition to change the law banning interstate sales of raw milk. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of California on December 12.
The suit names as defendants US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and the agencies they lead as defendants. It seeks to prompt the FDA to issue a ruling on a petition the dairy filed December 22, 2008 requesting the ban on interstate sales of raw milk be lifted to permit raw milk produced legally in one state to cross state lines if raw milk sales are … [Read more...]

The California Department of Health has released the list of retailers that received Organic Pastures raw milk products being recalled for possible contamination with Campylobacter. A recall of raw milk, raw skim milk (non-fat) and raw cream produced by the Fresno County diary was announced by the California Department of Agriculture on September 6 after Campylobacter was detected in a sample of raw cream during routine testing.
The recalled products have a code date of "SEP 13." No illnesses have been reported at this time.
The lengthy retail distribution list includes Mollie Stones, Mothers Market, New Leaf and Sprouts stores. Consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. Laws governing the sale of raw milk vary from state to state. In California, retail … [Read more...]